Michigan has moved up in the national recruiting rankings into the top five.
The Wolverines raced past Clemson and USC, and now sit at No. 4 in the 2021 Rivals team recruiting rankings after landing a commitment from four-star Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei wide receiver Cristian Dixon.
Dixon committed to Michigan over finalists LSU, Oregon and USC, and offers from a host of top programs.
For some time, the buzz surrounding Dixon's commitment was that Michigan would be the pick, but he held off on a pledge for several weeks, slowing down the process and hinting that other schools could be back in play. Ultimately, it was Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines that sealed the deal.
The Maize and Blue are planning to use Dixon as a bigger outside receiver, recognizing that his athleticism can make him threat deep down the field at 6-2, 185 pounds.
Michigan now has 19 commitments in its 2021 recruiting class.
Dixon joins Rivals100 linebacker Junior Colson, Rivals100 quarterback JJ McCarthy, Rivals100 offensive lineman Giovanni El-Hadi, Rivals100 tight end Louis Hansen, Rivals250 offensive lineman Raheem Anderson, Rivals250 offensive lineman Greg Crippen, Rivals 250 defensive end Quintin Somerville four-star defensive end Kechaun Bennett, three-star linebacker Casey Phinney, All-American specialist Tommy Doman, three-star cornerback Ja'Den McBurrows, three-star wide receiver Markus Allen, three-star safety Rod Moore, three-star offensive tackle Tristan Bounds, three-star linebackers Tyler McLaurin and Jaydon Hood and rising defensive linemen TJ Guy and Dominick Giudice.
Michigan now has a total score of 2,027 points. Every team ranked ahead of Michigan nationally holds more commits at this time except for Ohio State, who also has 19 pledges. The Wolverines are behind just the Buckeyes (1), Tennessee (2) and Florida (3).
Here is a look at The Big Ten rankings:
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Iowa
4. Wisconsin
5. Rutgers
6. Minnesota
7. Penn State
8. Maryland
9. Northwestern
10. Nebraska
11. Michigan State
12. Indiana
13. Purdue
14. Illinois
Michigan is fewer than 125 points behind Florida in the overall rankings, which means a top-three class is within striking distance.
Dixon is ranked as the No. 175 prospect nationally, the No. 32 wide receiver in the land and No. 17 player in the state, per Rivals.com
Dixon is the second wide receiver pledge in the 2021 class for Michigan, joining Markus Allen.
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